Meet Gabe Johnson, more commonly known by his classmates as Chunk. He is an overweight trombone player in the marching band, a member of a dysfunctional household, a donut shop employee, a rebel and a criminal. He is also the hero of a wonderful new book titled Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders by Geoff Herbach. What begins with a study for health class, cataloging the use of the school soda machine, escalates into what becomes known as the Spunk River War. In a completely covert money grab, the proceeds from the machine originally used to fund the marching band are directed toward the creation of a new dance squad. The band finds out on the last day of school that there will be no summer band camp. With the help of social media, Chunk rallies the geeks to protest this injustice. The jocks become involved and stand up for their girlfriends, the burners join the geeks. The stage is set for an epic clash which is planned to take place during the town’s premier summer tourist event.

Though rife with group classifications and sweeping generalizations, this story is about so much more than the geeks challenging the popular crowd. It is about self-perception, personal pride and seeing beyond stereotypes. Gabe grows to become more than what people expect of him and is an inspirational character as a result.

This entertaining novel is told in the unique manner of a one-sided conversation. After Gabe is arrested for robbing the soda machine, he meets with his lawyer at the police station, and the novel is a transcript of this encounter. It’s a clever device which asks the reader to fill in the question as our protagonist provides the answer. Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders is an endearing coming of age novel. The value of friendship and the importance of self-worth combine to make this teen novel a real winner.

Steve Berry, bestselling and highly acclaimed author of historical thrillers, including the Cotton Malone series, has over 17,000,000 copies of his books in print internationally. Get to know Steve as he answers questions about his latest bestseller and future writing plans, and even shares the strangest way he’s encountered his readers!

The Lincoln Myth involves Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. Constitution, religious zealots and of course, Cotton Malone trying to save the country. Where do you get your ideas? Is it true that there is a little bit of you in Cotton?

The constitutional concept of secession has always fascinated me. It's one of those arguments that have no easy answer. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is likewise interesting. It is the quintessential American religion, and it played some key roles in our history. When I found out that Abraham Lincoln was the first president to ever read the Book of Mormon, and that he made a secret deal with Brigham Young, I knew there was a novel there. So I sent Cotton Malone to get to the bottom of things. And he is basically me. When I created him for The Templar Legacy, I used my personality, so we share a lot of traits, like the love of rare books. He doesn’t like enclosed spaces, I don’t either. He doesn’t like the taste of alcohol. He has finicky eating habits. That's me. I, of course, don’t jump out of planes and shoot guns at bad guys, but I live that through him.

You’ve said in the past that the most wonderful fiction always has a ring of truth to it. What’s the ring of truth inThe Lincoln Myth?

The concept of a union of 50 states that is indivisible and forever is not necessarily accurate. Lincoln did not fight the Civil War to save the Union, he fought that war to create the Union. I doubt many of us realize that. I didn't, until I did the research for this novel.

History is who we are and where we came from. To forget that or, even worse, to just allow it to rot away, robs the future of that past. It's our duty to preserve what came before for the next generation.

With so many copies of your books all over the world, you must encounter people reading your novels all the time. What is the weirdest place you’ve ever seen a Steve Berry book being read? How about the most exotic?

Fiji is probably the most exotic. The oddest happened in an airport. The man sitting beside me started reading the latest hardback, then a woman sitting across from me did the same thing. On the back cover of each book was a full color photo of me, yet neither made the connection. That's the cool thing about being a writer. You don't lose your anonymity, which is wonderful.

Your favorite holiday decoration is your Star Trek themed tree complete with Santa in a transporter. Have you ever considered writing science fiction or fantasy?

I'd love to write a sci-fi novel one day. I even have one churning in my mind, and I just might do it. I've always been a fan of that genre.

How big of a thrill was it to be asked to write the forewords for the upcoming re-releases of James Michener’s novels?

That was truly an honor. He is, hands-down, my favorite writer of all time. I have a complete collection of his novels that I've amassed for over 40 years. To see my name on the same cover with his will be amazing. I hope a new generation of readers will rediscover Michener. He was genius. I write today because of him.

Do you have any sneak peeks for our readers as to what’s in store for Cotton Malone’s 15th adventure? Can you share any news in the development of the series for the small screen?

Cotton will return in 2015. This one deals with another fascinating quirk from the Constitution. It's called The Patriot Threat, and it will be on sale in March. Alcon Entertainment is still developing a possible television series for Cotton. Hopefully, it'll make it to the screen one day. If anyone would like to know more about that, or me, or the books, check out www.steveberry.org.

Beloved character Hello Kitty returns to delight in a third graphic novel Hello Kitty: Surprise! by Jacob Chabot and Ian McGinty. A compilation of 10 short stories, this nearly wordless book follows Hello Kitty and her friends on a myriad of adventures. Whether they are enjoying a day at the beach, finding a large, mysterious egg or going on a pirate adventure, each story has some sort of unexpected twist that will keep you wondering what could possibly happen next. Can a book really transport you to another place? And what will Kitty’s parents do when they come to Kitty’s rocking birthday party? Hello Kitty fans are sure to enjoy!

If you are looking for a picture book to enjoy with your little cat lover, look no further than Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That written by Victoria Allenby and illustrated by Tara Anderson. It’s daytime, and while the world buzzes around him, Nat the cat is enjoying his naps. Whether in dresser drawers or in front of doors, on the stairs or on chairs, this orange tabby can be found sleeping in all kinds of strange, albeit realistic places. Despite all that his black and white kitten buddy tries, Nat will not let the noise of the piano the kitten’s juggling act disturb him from getting a nice daytime snooze. However, there is one thing that Nat cannot sleep through. Can you guess what that is? To find out, you will just have to pick up this whimsical rhyming book filled with playful and fun illustrations.

Marie Rutkoski’s The Winner’s Curse is an intricately told story that introduces a new and fascinating world. In this world, one group of people, the Valorians, conquered another, the Herrani, took their land and turned them into slaves. For years, the power dynamics between the two groups have stayed the same. But now, as the novel begins and Kestral, a Valorian general’s daughter, buys Arin, a Herrani slave, at an auction, the relationship between the Valorians and Herrani begins to change.

Kestral can’t pinpoint why she impulsively purchased Arin at the auction, and she initially ignores his existence when they return to her home. After time, she begins to use Arin as her escort when visiting friends, and the two come to know one another better, even playing Bite and Sting, a Valorian game, together in secret. As they become friends, and it seems that romance may be developing between them, their friends and family begin to question their relationship. Their relationship is further complicated by the pressure Kestral feels from her father to choose between marrying and joining the military, a woman’s only options in the empire. All the while, a secret rebellion brews as a group of Herrani join together to overthrow the Valorians. As the two storylines come together, the book becomes a fast-paced read filled with action.

The Winner’s Curse, the first in a planned trilogy, will have readers eagerly awaiting more information about Kestrel and Arin. Rutkoski transports readers to her new world and takes them along for a high stakes journey.

Two new cookbooks by three noted celebrity chefs offer modern twists on favorite comfort food which are sure to appeal to the most skittish of home cooks. Both volumes are beautifully photographed with functional layouts and come complete with tips and instructions.

Hootie Hoo! The Chew co-host and Top Chef fan-favorite, Carla Hall, offers an international spin in Carla’s Comfort Foods: Favorite Dishes from Around the World. This sumptuous feast will tantalize the senses as readers travel the culinary globe in search of delectable delights. Featuring over 100 recipes, Carla selects a cooking technique or main ingredient and follows with international variations. For example, partnered with Italian-American lasagna are Irish shepherd’s pie and Mexican enchiladas. The mouthwatering variations are all readily accomplished at home, and Carla’s easy, conversational style is encouraging. The international spice chart is an education in seasoning, and is at the root of Carla’s philosophy that food is food around the world – it’s the spices that make all the difference.

For married couple Pat and Gina Neely, restaurateurs and hosts of the hit Food Network series Down Home with the Neelys, food is at the center of a happy home. In their latest cookbook, Back Home with the Neelys: Comfort Food from our Southern Kitchen to Yours, this dynamic duo revisits 100 family recipes passed down through generations and creates new dishes using the past as inspiration. Think Bourbon French Toast, Crunchy Fried Okra and Mama Rena's Brunswick Stew. Mmmmm! The Neelys share family anecdotes along with the recipes which will lead readers on their own journey down memory lane. While rooted in tradition, the Neelys also capture the spirit and flavors of modern and fresh Southern cooking.

Who’s the fairest of them all? Is it Snow, with her fair skin and hazel eyes? Maybe it is Bird, with her cap of dark curls and golden skin. Nigerian-born Helen Oyeyemi’s latest novel, Boy, Snow, Bird, takes classic fairy tale themes of beauty, stepmothers and sibling rivalry and reworks them around a 1950s New England town and a family’s secrets.

Eighteen-year-old Boy Novak lives in New York City with her sadistic father who works as a rat catcher, using blinded rats as bait. To escape her father’s abuse, she buys a train ticket for the far-away stop of Flax Hill, Massachusetts. The fine-boned, flaxen-haired Boy meets and marries Arturo Whitman, local professor-turned-jeweler, widower, and father of Snow. Boy slides right into her role of benevolent stepmother and daughter-in-law until she and Arturo have their own baby, Bird, who is “born with a suntan.” Unbeknownst to Boy, her new husband and his family are African-American passing for white. Bird’s arrival pulls back the curtain on their carefully constructed public lives.

What is fair, either in beauty or in deeds? Arturo’s mother wants to send the darker-skinned Bird away to live with relatives; Boy views stepdaughter Snow as the interloper who needs to go. Oyeyemi uses a conversational writing style and alternates characters’ narration, including letters sent between the sisters, to explore issues of identity relative to race and gender. Boy, Snow, Bird warns us of the danger in allowing our reflection, whether in the mirror or eyes of the beholder, dictate who we are.

Hesteyri: A beautiful location by the ocean, a popular summer tourist destination, an entrepreneurs golden opportunity. When friends decide to purchase and renovate a house to start a bed and breakfast, they find their dream quickly transforms into a nightmare. I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir is a spectacularly terrifying ghost story, and the most frightening and suspenseful novel I have read in recent memory. Readers meet the three friends as they are traveling on a small boat to the island, the location of their renovation project. It is a dreary and blustery winter’s afternoon and the seas are rough, indicative of a threatening storm. After disembarking at the uninhabited village, the captain encourages them to call if they need to leave before the predetermined departure a week later. He seems to struggle with divulging something menacing, but elects to hold his tongue. The author’s brilliant foreshadowing paints an atmosphere very different from the bright hopes and expectations of the main characters. Their house creaks and moans, there is a putrid stench which emanates periodically from the kitchen, wet footprints appear overnight, objects move on their own… and the disturbances are only beginning.

I Remember You is actually two tales which are told in alternating chapters. The second story line involves a doctor on the mainland who has recently relocated to the area. Having suffered the unbearable loss of his young son who disappeared three years before, he and his wife have just divorced and he is attempting to move on with his life. As the only professional in the town with any psychiatric experience, the police have called him to a preschool which has been extensively vandalized. Every item in the room is broken, every piece of artwork shredded and the word “dirty” has been written repeatedly on the wall. Even more bizarre is that it perfectly mimics a crime at an elementary school 60 years ago. The investigation reveals multiple classmates from the earlier crime have died under suspicious circumstances.

Discovering the truth behind these mysteries is a thrilling and terrifying adventure. Readers will appreciate the break in the ghostly hauntings when the storyline switches to the mainland. But only for so long, as it becomes evident there are sinister otherworldly events taking place there as well. If you are looking for a great ghost story, check out the Scandinavian thriller I Remember You.

British author Laline Paull is setting the book world abuzz with her debut novel, an imaginative and gripping tale which takes place in a beehive. Paull began studying bees after a beekeeper friend died; the fascinating societal structure of the hive inspired her to write The Bees.

Flora 717 is a worker bee living in a hive valuing conformity. Born “obscenely ugly… and excessively large,” Flora is saved from immediate execution because a ruling class priestess wants to use her in an experiment. The hive’s rigid caste system relies on mind control and strict job divisions, which keep the hive operating for the good of the group, but its totalitarian mindset allows no individual freedom. Flora defies the limitations of her Sanitation class: She is able to speak, block other bees from accessing her thoughts and use her abilities to forge a unique role for herself when the survival of the hive is threatened.

In creating the intricate life of this honeybee colony, Paull did everything from attending beekeeper classes to watching nature unfold in her backyard. She blends factual bee behavior, like building honeycomb nurseries or the “dancing” and antennae touching which bees perform to communicate information, with elements of goddess worship, Catholic prayer and the British monarchy in her creation of a detailed parallel world. As in nature, The Bees is sometimes chillingly violent. It is also surprisingly funny, with its swaggering Drone class reminiscent of any Animal House frat bro collective hopped up on testosterone.

The Bees is being compared to the modern classic Watership Down by Richard Adams for its thrilling adventure and social commentary wrapped up in an animal story. This story makes a perfect book club choice or escapist summer read as Flora 717 takes the reader on a wild flight. Is Flora a traitor or a savior? The bees in your garden will never look the same again.

Did you already binge-watch the second season of House of Cards on Netflix? Are you on pins and needles waiting to see where Frank and Claire’s machinations will lead them next? These novels filled with intrigue and scheming are just the thing to help ease your post-season two blues.

Before it was a hit American series, House of Cards was a popular British miniseries inspired by a trilogy of novels written by Michael Dobbs, a former advisor of Margaret Thatcher. The author recently revised House of Cards, the first novel in the trilogy, and it has been re-released. This thriller revolves around Chief Whip Francis Urquhart and his Machiavellian political maneuvering and Mattie Storin, a driven young reporter who pursues a story about corruption that she can’t resist. Like the television adaptation, the novel is ruled by political intrigue. The remaining novels in the trilogy will also be available later this year, so stay tuned for more plotting, greed and corruption.

For more political scheming, try Hilary Mantel’s Man Booker Prize-winning novel Wolf Hall, which brings 16th-century English politics to life. This fictional account of the life of Thomas Cromwell shows his rise to his position of advisor to the king and his skill as a consummate political schemer. The novel follows Cromwell’s behind-the-scenes maneuvering during the tumultuous reign of Henry VIII. Mantel’s well-researched, skillfully written novel is the first in a trilogy that you won’t want to miss.

If you’re looking for dark stories about ruthless, manipulative characters, Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley is the gold standard. Tom Ripley is entranced by the wealthy world of his new acquaintance Dickie Greenleaf. When Dickie’s father asks Tom to go to Italy and convince his wayward son to come home to New York, Tom agrees. He slowly becomes more and more obsessed with Dickie’s world and eventually assumes Dickie’s identity. Highsmith tells the story from Tom’s distorted yet charismatic perspective, leaving the reader both fascinated and horrified.

Baltimore author Rob Kasper will discuss his book Baltimore Beer: A Satisfying History of Charm City Brewing, at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6, at the Perry Hall Branch. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Perry Hall Library. Kasper, who also had a prolific career as a writer and reporter for The Baltimore Sun, recently answered questions for Between the Covers about his book.

How long had the idea for Baltimore Beer been, well, brewing, before you put pen to paper? At what point did you decide to make a serious study of Baltimore beer and the history of local breweries?

About 10 years. One day at The Sun I got a call saying National Premium was no longer being bottled (it has since been revived). Reading the clips to write the story, I realized there was no current history of Baltimore breweries. Originally I had a contract with the publishing arm of Bibelot bookstores to write the book. They went bankrupt and the project lay dormant, then I got a contract with History Press and finished the book.

What was the most interesting or the oddest piece of information about Baltimore beer or breweries that you discovered in your research?

Three things come to mind that show how breweries were a major part of Baltimore’s social fabric. One, how German the city of Baltimore was. In addition to all the breweries, city council notes were printed in German and English until World War I. Two, how the Lone Ranger’s silver bullet and some National Premium executives coaxed the owner of the Washington Senators into letting the Orioles move to Baltimore in 1954. Three, when a fisherman caught Diamond Jim III (a rockfish tagged by American Brewing Company) and won $25,000, the fisherman argued that catching the fish was civic achievement and therefore tax free. A judge was amused but said the fisherman owed $6,000 in taxes.

For more than three decades, you were a reporter, columnist and editorial writer for The Baltimore Sun. What are a few notable moments or highs from your career with the newspaper?

I won a handful of national writing awards for my columns which buoyed me, but the most gratifying part of the job was the feedback from readers – phone calls, letters and comments from folks I bumped into who had read something I had written. Mostly they liked what I had written, but sometimes not.

You’ve made a career in Baltimore, but you grew up in Kansas. How did you find your way to the East Coast?

All the great seafood lovers grew up in the Midwest. That is because when folks out here were eating rockfish on Fridays, we were chewing on fish sticks. When I came to Maryland to work at The Sun, (after a five-year stop at the Louisville Courier-Journal and Times and a one-day – yes, one-day – stint at the National Observer) I tasted crab soup, crab cakes, steamed crabs and soft crabs. There was no going back. I once beat Brooks Robinson in a celebrity crab picking contest – not bad for a guy from Dodge City. But I later got demolished by Shirley Phillips, of Phillips Seafood. She used a knife to slice up the steamed crabs. The way she wielded that knife, you wouldn’t want to cross her.

Okay, we need to ask: Your favorite beer?

Well, like Ado Annie in Oklahoma!, the girl who cain’t say no, my favorite depends on whom I am with. At Brewer’s Art it is Resurrection; at Union Craft it is Duckpin; at Heavy Seas it is Loose Cannon; at Pratt Street Ale House it is Extra Special Bitter; at DuClaw it is Black Jack Stout; at Flying Dog it is Snake Dog. The beer I still pine for is pilsner from the long-gone Baltimore Brewing Company. That was exceptional. I make do substituting with Victory Prima Pils and the Pendulum Pilsner from RavenBeer.

Tell us a little about Baltimore Beer Week, a nonprofit that celebrates local brewing, which you helped to found.

My contributions to Beer Week pale compared with those of Joe Gold and Dominic Cantalupo and the late Mick Kipp. But basically it is a 10-day celebration in October of all things beery in Baltimore. There are tastings, beer dinners and tours of breweries, including the classic old American Brewery, now home to the nonprofit Humanin. I try to provide historical background and remind beer drinkers that the good stuff they are enjoying today was built on the shoulders of generations of brewers before them.